Collecting Current History

Debra Haaland and members of her campaign staff celebrate her election to the U.S. House of Representatives, November 6, 2018. Albuquerque Museum, gift of Deb Haaland for Congress.

BOTTOM: President John F. Kennedy shakes the hands of supporters during a rally at UNM, 1960. Albuquerque Museum, gift of Zelda and Jerry Danziger.

ONE OF THE Albuquerque Museum’s recent acquisitions is a photograph from election night 2018, when Debra Haaland won New Mexico’s first congressional district. As one of the first two Native American women ever to be elected to Congress, Haaland is making history.

Museum archives include Haaland material.

The accession of Haaland’s photograph is part of the Museum’s commitment to collect items that preserve the stories of Albuquerque and New Mexico for future generations. According to Museum Director Andrew Connors, once it became clear that Haaland was rising to the top of the slate, Albuquerque Museum curators knew they needed to capture a moment in history when the first Native American woman might go to Congress. “Usually history museums feel more comfortable sitting back and waiting for pivot points of history to become clear in retrospect,” Connors says. “However, by asking the campaign staff to collect objects before history was decided, we hoped to ensure that the Museum could talk about a national event from an insider’s perspective.”

The Museum contacted the campaign, and, at that point, campaign organizers began to save items. “We didn’t just want to tell history from the front pages of national newspapers and screen shots

Senator Pete Domenici stands with Evelyn and Nancy Merritt at the U.S. Senate, December 7, 1984. Albuquerque Museum, gift of Nancy Merritt.

from national televised news,” Connors says. “We wanted examples of the door hangers, postal mailers, and handannotated speeches that represent the immense labor and constant refinement that lead to political victories.” After the campaign was over, Museum Photo Archivist Jill Hartke received a box that included posters, t-shirts, door hangers, photos, and scripts from speeches and press conferences— all items the campaign had saved for the Museum.

Along with the newly acquired Haaland campaign items, Museum archives include images of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William H. Taft speaking to crowds in Albuquerque, President Franklin D. Roosevelt with Mayor Clyde Tingley standing beside him, and President John F. Kennedy shaking hands at a rally at the University of New Mexico in 1960. The archive also includes an autographed photo of United States Senator Pete Domenici, the longest serving senator in New Mexico history, at the U.S. Capitol; and a photo of Senator Dennis Chavez, the first Hispanic man elected to the U.S. Senate, shaking the hand of a man riding a horse. Says Connors: “Having such objects in our collection means that the Albuquerque Museum can tell history from a different perspective, a humane, humble, yet heroic perspective that can help us understand the importance of the actions of the Albuquerque electorate.”

While politics is ever-changing, museum curatorial ethics demand objectivity—collecting history for history’s sake, to tell the stories of our city and its people to future generations. On April 13, Russell Skowronek of Rio Grande Valley Texas University, and Spanish Colonial historian Dr. Linda Tigges will discuss the Manila Galleon and El Camino Real—one of the longest and oldest trade routes in North America. Traditional carpentry is the subject of a session on June 13. Woodworker Mark Parrish, an apprentice of Pete Smith—a prominent figure and carpenter who built and designed many Corrales homes—will celebrate the craftsman’s life, and discuss the items at Casa that Parrish himself helped restore. Casa is also partnering with community groups; classes include heritage spinning and weaving, and blacksmithing. An Introduction to Homesteading series will teach people about water rights, acequia farming, and sustainability. Instructor Rachel Hillier, of Little Dirt Farms, will lead sessions on soil restoration, planting, harvesting, and preserving food.

VISIT cabq.gov/casasanysidro for a full schedule and class times.

SUZANNA FINLEY

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